News

Market Gravity have a brand new podcast.

Launch Break (see what we did there?) is for anyone who wants to learn more about innovation processes and methods and the launches they have led to. If you’re wondering how to get that new idea from an idea to reality, from post-it to prototype, and you want to hear stories from others who have done just that, then this is the podcast for you. A fresh serving of inspiring and informative innovation content delivered to you on the first of each month by Olivia and Ben from Market Gravity.

You can find the podcast by searching Market Gravity on iTunes, or directly here.

Why are we doing a podcast?

Ben and I decided to launch this podcast because we wanted to share more stories of innovation and the launches that it has led to. Often, we hear about new products, services or ventures coming to market, but we don’t know anything about the journey to get there. What were the processes followed? What were the pitfalls and failures along the way that led to the success story? Who was involved? What methods were used in order to get it off the ground? You’ll hear answers to these questions and more as Ben and I interview corporate entrepreneurs and innovators from different industries and fields.

We wanted to give you the inspiration and information that you need, to ultimately help you launch your own venture. Perhaps that’s the confidence to start the process, or more help on where to even begin, and what support you need on the way to creating and launching something new – whatever that might be.

Ben and I don’t have any podcasting experience; we decided the best way to get the podcast going and to gain experience was to just do it! So, we’ll be learning along the way too.

What do Market Gravity do?

We help companies to create, design and build new propositions – and launch them into market. A new proposition can be; a product, service, new venture, customer experience launch strategy or physical store. One example is Conker, by Unite Students. It’s a new platform which helps students find great housing from responsible landlords.

We work with the world’s largest brands to help inject an entrepreneurial spirit into their businesses. That’s hard when you’re a huge company, and you have long standing, legacy ways of working. By sharing these stories, we hope to help other corporate entrepreneurs, or people who are interested in innovation, to hear how it’s been done, provide inspiration and share expertise.

How do we do that?

In practice, Market Gravity’s approach is to be customer-focused, not customer led. That means we bring customers into the heart of our creation process, to understand their needs and behaviors and use these to drive our idea generation. We test those ideas with customers, iterate them, and build them. We do this whilst developing commercial rigour around the proposition, assess the capabilities and requirements needed to launch a Minimum Viable Proposition (MVP). The MVP allows us to test and learn, building on the knowledge we gather as we work up to delivering the full proposition into market.

So what next?

You can expect to hear from different members from Market Gravity– starting with myself and Ben from the London office, interviewing fascinating people who’ve launched interesting things. If you’ve got ideas for who you’d like to hear us speak to, or want to know more about a specific topic, we’d love to hear it and incorporate it into the podcast – contact us at launchbreak@marketgravity.com if you do! Find the podcast right here, or in your favourite third party app.

Market Gravity’s Paul Bowman shows banking industry how to act like a challenger.

The banking industry is facing a challenging time as established high street banks attempt to re-find their niche in the marketplace and keep up with today’s fast-moving digital trends. The new breed of challenger banks is turning banking on its head but Paul Bowman from Market Gravity believes big banks can also bring their offerings into the digital age by embracing new, disruptive technologies and changing their ways of working to think and act like a challenger.

Paul, partner and Edinburgh managing director at the proposition design consultancy, will present at the RFi Group Global Digital Banking Conference on Thursday 16th June along with Helen Page, propositions and marketing director at Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank. He will outline why a traditional long term strategy is no longer relevant and how organisations need to think in weeks, not years. His presentation will cover the concepts of proposition sprints, mission culture and empowering people, learning how to pivot and how to encourage progress over perfection. He will discuss a breed of ‘new challengers’ and explore how bigger players can combine their experience and heritage with innovation and technology to stay ahead in this competitive marketplace.

Market Gravity demonstrated how this is achievable on its work with Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banking Group on the launch of B – a customer-design-driven current and savings account that works within a smart app. B is a UK first and promises the fastest account-opening process and a host of features designed to enhance customer engagement and retention. Existing customers can make the transition into mobile banking and younger, tech-savvy users will be attracted by the new experience.

Helen Page will discuss the importance of digital banking to the future of retail banking and how listening to customers and offering new, fresh approaches can help to drive new digital banking experiences.

The RFi Group Global Digital Banking Conference takes place on Thursday 16th June at The Banking Hall, London. For full details on the conference, visit the website.

Read the story on how we helped Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank create B to become a new challenger.

Want to become a new challenger?

Paul and the Market Gravity team can help you become a new challenger.
Get in touch to find out how.

Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank have teamed up with proposition design consultancy Market Gravity to design and launch a pioneering new smart digital banking service – B.

Market Gravity worked collaboratively with the team at Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank to develop what is believed to be the UK’s first customer-design-driven banking service, specifically for mobile and tablet devices. Launching on 3rd May, the unique B app promises to bring in new users and create long-term value for the bank and its customers with the fastest account opening process in the UK and a host of features designed to enhance customer engagement and retention.

The Banks aim for the new technology to encourage existing customers to make the transition into mobile banking and bring in new younger, and tech-savvy users from other retail banks who will be attracted by the new experience. This investment in disruptive technology represents an opportunity for the Banks to appeal to customers across the UK and increase their reach beyond its traditional heartland.

Designed and developed following customer feedback, and in collaboration with Market Gravity, the B proposition is built around an app, available for free for the first 12 months, then for £2 a month. It features intuitive smart tools to help consumers take control and manage their money much more effectively. As well as allowing users to sweep cash between current and savings accounts and make payments at the touch of a button, B will offer multiple savings pots, tagging and tracking of spending and tailored messages, and hints and tips to help customers. Plus dedicated support is always on hand either at the touch of a button on the app, through the branch network and via a free UK-based dedicated call centre. The new technology brings cost-effective, instant digital and virtual support to customers and allows them to become their own money expert on their own devices - something the bank recognises as greatly appealing to the new tech-savvy generation of banking customers.

B aims to have a broad appeal to encourage new customers looking for a convenient way to bank, remotely, on the go, 24/7. It will be matched within branches with specially designed B branded areas that will support customers in exploring the new functionality B offers.

Peter Sayburn, CEO and founding partner at Market Gravity, says: “We were delighted to work with Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank on the development and launch of the new B platform and it’s exciting to see the concept come to life. It’s great to work with such a forward-thinking team looking to bring innovation and disruption to a traditional sector.

“We are seeing the emergence of new entrants to the sector and it’s great to see an established banking organisation become a New Challenger and bring their offering into the digital age. It’s important for businesses within the banking industry to stay one step ahead and transform themselves into digital banks.

“Today’s consumers want banking options that are built around the lives they lead now; convenient, easy to manage and use technology in an intelligent way to practically help them achieve the things they want in life. New technologies from apps and wearables, to Facebook messenger bots will change the way consumers bank, shop and manage their money. With new legislation, such as the Payment Services Directive 2, we expect to see even more developments in payments and finance as well as more challengers entering the marketplace. Established banks have to develop their products and services to meet the demands of the consumers of today and the future.”

The launch of B represents the first major initiative for the Banks since the company’s IPO in February this year and signals the importance of innovation in the company’s growth strategy. It forms part of the group’s wider omni-channel strategy across the business using digitisation to deliver better, sustainable services for customers.

Helen Page, Customer Experience Director at Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank, says: “We worked in collaboration with Market Gravity to devise a new banking experience for our customers and to disrupt the category. B represents a challenge to other banks and is based around an app that has been extensively tested and trialled - we know it’s what people want.

“As part of our background research, over 10,000 people told us what they wanted from a bank; to take the hassle out of money and make life a bit easier. We listened, learned and took their advice throughout the process to create B - a product designed by customers for customers.”